A BOOKMAKER'S plans to move into Coventry could lead to a change in the way licensing appeals are heard after a judge claimed he had not been given enough time to read vital documents.

As a result, Done Brothers' hopes of moving into the Cheylesmore area of the city will be delayed by at least three months.

The independent firm was appealing against an initial ruling by city licensing magistrates preventing it from opening a shop in Cheylesmore.

Magistrates had turned down the application before Christmas after considering the effect a new betting shop would have on traders.

One of the strongest objections came from betting firm William Hill, which has an outlet nearby.

But the latest delay came after Judge James Pyke, who was heading the five-strong committee at Coventry Crown Court. He launched a stinging attack on the practice of not disclosing evidence beforehand.

He carpeted the legal teams representing Done Brothers and William Hill for leaving him too little time to read documents vital to the hearing. He said: "Consid-erations have expanded and it really isn't feasible any more to proceed on the hoof."

The firms' legal representatives, who must now return on August 13, said the judge's remarks would have an important bearing on future cases.

Mark Owen, for Done Brothers, said: "It will set an important trend for licensing. This will have ramifications."

Legal teams will have to produce and exchange evidence in advance of hearings, as happens in criminal cases.

Gerald Gouriet, for William Hill, said: "This is the end of the licensing practice as we have seen it over the last three decades. This cannot be ignored. The reverberations will be felt up and down the country."